For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an existing inspection apparatus includes a loader chamber L which carries a semiconductor wafer W, a probe chamber P which inspects electrical characteristics of the semiconductor wafer W carried from the loader chamber L, and a controller (not shown). Under control of the controller, this apparatus is configured to carry the semiconductor wafer W from the loader chamber L to the probe chamber P, inspect the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor wafer W in the probe chamber P, and then return the semiconductor wafer W to its original condition.
As shown in FIG. 4, the probe chamber P includes a temperature controllable wafer chuck 1 which loads the semiconductor wafer W, an XY table 2 which moves the wafer chuck 1 in X and Y directions, a probe card 3 which is arranged above the wafer chuck 1 moving over the XY table 2, and an alignment mechanism 4 which makes a precise alignment of a plurality of probes 3A of the probe card 3 with a plurality of pads of the semiconductor wafer W on the wafer chuck 1.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a test head T of a tester is pivotally arranged on a head plate 5 of the probe chamber P and is electrically connected to the probe card 3 via a performance board (not shown). The semiconductor wafer W on the wafer chuck 1 is set with an inspection temperature ranging from low temperature to high temperature, for example, and then low temperature inspection or high temperature inspection of the semiconductor wafer W is performed by using a tester signal transmitted to the probes 3A via the test head T.
For the low temperature inspection of the semiconductor wafer W, generally as shown in FIG. 4, a refrigerant is cooled to a predetermined temperature by a cooling device 6 connected to the wafer chuck 1 and is circulated through a refrigerant passage within the wafer chuck 1, thereby cooling the semiconductor wafer W to a low temperature range of, for example, several tens of degrees C. below 0 degrees C. The present inventor has supposed a cooling/heating device capable of keeping a temperature of a refrigerant circulating through the wafer chuck 1 constant. This cooling/heating device uses a primary refrigerant of a Stirling refrigerator to cool/heat a secondary refrigerant circulating through the wafer chuck to a predetermined range of temperatures below 0 degrees C., which may result in simplification of a cooling circuit as compared to existing cooling devices.
However, since the cooling device described above is driven simultaneously with an inspection apparatus without distinction between low temperature inspection and high temperature inspection in the inspection apparatus and the secondary refrigerant cooled to a predetermined temperature for the low and high temperature inspections always flows through the cooling device even when the high temperature inspection is performed, energy is consumed due to running of the cooling device during the high temperature inspection, which is undesirable in terms of energy savings.
In addition, a cooling device used for a vacuum processing apparatus has been known. This cooling device cools a cooling object (a shower plate of a vacuum chamber) with a primary refrigerant directly rather than cooling the shower plate with a secondary refrigerant as in the above cooling device.
The cooling device used for a vacuum processing apparatus is simply provided to cool the shower plate of the vacuum chamber and has problems when used in an apparatus such as in an inspection apparatus since it is used without distinction between high temperature and low temperature.